Impatience is a Virtue
by Czigany
Summary: [Based on a throwaway line in TSS] Shepard has a special post-mission ritual. Zaeed knows it intimately. Still, the Commander gets impatient. Kmeme fill falling between Following Orders and Revenge is Sweet, but stands on its own. F!Shep/Zaeed. One-shot, complete.


**Disclaimer:** _Mass Effect_ is the property of Bioware, Microsoft Game Studios, and Electronic Arts. I am none of these, and as such make no money from this venture.

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Zaeed was just finishing his daily maintenance on Jessie when he heard the tell-tale sounds of the Kodiak dock below. Chuckling quietly to himself, he checked that the door was locked before switching the camera feed from its surveillance loop to the Commander's cabin. She had a post-mission ritual - one he'd come to know well.

Five minutes to secure the shuttle and disembark. Two minutes for the elevator to reach the CIC three if it had to stop on the Crew Deck to collect Lawson or let someone off to see Chakwas. Ten minute debrief for a merc base, twelve if someone had been injured, sixteen for a mission Hackett had forwarded, and twenty if it had involved a favour for a crew member. Six minutes to talk with Joker and EDI while the squad dispersed, then a minute from the CIC up to her loft.

She'd taken Jack and the baby krogan to decimate an Eclipse base this time, so unless they'd run into more trouble than they expected, he had twenty-five minutes until the show started. Enough time to shed his armour and have a cigar once his beloved rifle was back in her case. Cleaning up his workbench - well, as much as he ever did - and pouring himself a tumbler of Yandoan whiskey, the mercenary settled back in for the last few minutes' wait until Shepard arrived in her cabin.

His eyes flicked automatically to the timestamp when she finally sashayed into view. She was a little early and most definitely pleased; must have been a good fight planetside. Zaeed double-checked that he was recording the feed; Shepard's little 'shows' were infinitely better when she was in a good mood. Her helmet was already off and she tossed it on her desk carelessly, scattering datapads and clipping the picture frame that had lain there, face-down, since Horizon, sending it off the edge and into the bin. Gauntlets were next; left first as she approached the stairs, bare hand absently caressing the button that fed her fish before she unlatched the right and dropped both onto the bright white cushions of her couch. Shepard stripped her arms next; vambraces, rerebraces, and pauldrons all clattering against each other as she paced the curve of the sofa and scattered them along it.

Zaeed shifted, impatient even as he savoured the measured pace she kept. This is where the show really started heating up. The Commander's hands slid up her torso teasingly, releasing the seals on her breastplate as they went, until those nimble fingers flicked open the last ones at her neck. She pulled off the heavy cuirass and dropped it to the floor, sighing as her hands returned to brush against her underarmour-covered midsection. The mercenary groaned in tandem with her as she cupped her breasts, tweaking her nipples briefly through the tight fabric.

From there Shepard knelt to release her greaves, standing again to shimmy out of her cuisses. From there she began removing her black shipsuit in a manner more suited to a stripper than an Alliance military officer. Anyone who claimed the Commander couldn't dance had never seen her undress after a good mission. He knocked back his drink and loosened his trousers, one rough hand curling around his hardening cock as she peeled the tight fabric away. His breath hissed between his teeth when she bent over to free her ankles. _Those_weren't regulation undergarments and she had turned at just the right angle to give him the best view. He made a note to pull some stills from the video later. Right now...

Shepard arched her back as she straightened, making the simple stretch look enticingly erotic. Her hands slid up her body again, dipping into the valley of her crotch only briefly before continuing up her flat stomach to cup her breasts again. She turned, giving him a perfect view of her hardened nipples as she pinched and rolled them with nimble fingers. Moaning faintly, she backed up until her knees hit the bed and she sank onto its soft surface. Zaeed poured himself another three fingers of whiskey, knocking it back while his other hand began stroking himself lightly. Looks like he was getting the full show tonight.

Shepard slid back on the bed until she was leaning against the mound of pillows at the head. Teasingly, her hands began to stroke along her stomach, cupping her breasts at the apex of their range and caressing the inside of her thighs at the nadir. With every pass, the crotch of her knickers grew more and more damp but still her touch shied away. If she didn't get going soon, Zaeed was going to go up there and damn well take care of it himself.

Finally she slipped her fingers into the last bit of clothing she had on and pulled them off, lifting her legs rather than sitting up to do so. The position flashed the camera only the barest glimpse of her dripping center before she tossed the filmy lingerie across the room to land on her coffee table. Zaeed made a note to filch that particular pair of knickers from the laundry when Chambers brought it down next. For now, his eyes were fixed on the monitor where the Commander was messily sucking three fingers on one hand while the other spread her legs and began teasing apart her folds.

Zaeed's grip on his cock firmed as Shepard spread herself and flicked a finger across her swollen clit. The digits she'd been licking came down to circle that bud before pressing up into her cunt. Stifling his groans, the mercenary matched her pace as the Commander began fucking herself with eager fingers. He could see them glisten through the grainy vid feed as her hips arched off the bed at a particularly forceful thrust. Her gasps and moans spurred him on as they raced each other towards the peak.

He could feel it building behind his balls but there was no way in hell he was going to spill before she came. Shepard's shoulders twitched almost the same instant that her breath hitched, and he knew she was almost there. Just as she began to tense, head tossed back and exposing that gloriously smooth throat, the security feed glitched and cut out.

No. No _fucking _way. There was no goddamn way he was leaving it like that. Fuck watching the vid every time she went up to her cabin, the little tease, he was going up there to give her something to moan about. Frustrated, Zaeed willed his erection to fade enough for him to at least make it to her cabin with some semblance of comfort. Refastening his trousers he stood, snagging the bottle of whiskey, and turned towards the exit. Standing just inside the door was Shepard, wearing nothing but a thin vest, a tiny pair of shorts, and a wicked smirk. The security lock glowed red at her back.

"So," her voice was soft and teasing, eyes dropping briefly to the still-prominent bulge at his crotch. "Anything interesting on the vids?"

"Nothing I can't catch later," he growled back. "You come down to hear another war story?"

"Hmm," she purred, pushing off the wall and taking a step closer. "Something like that."

When he only raised an eyebrow in response, she chuckled. "Sit down, Massani."

"Make me," he leered, raking her toned body with his mismatched gaze.

Her smirk only deepened as she reached around him to flip the chair about. She pressed one hand lightly to his chest, tugging the alcohol from his grasp as he let her push him back into his seat. Hands free, Zaeed reached up to grab her hips, fingers sliding beneath her clothing to stroke hot skin. He grinned when she stifled a moan as he cupped her ass, her shorts dipping dangerously low as his hands pushed the fabric out of the way. She wasn't wearing a bra and, as she leaned over him to set the bottle back on his workbench, he caught one of her nipples in his mouth.

Shepard tensed under his assault, bracing one hand on his shoulder and threading the other through his short hair. He lipped at the hardened flesh, dragging his tongue across the thin cotton covering it and causing the Commander above him to shiver faintly. She pulled away with a breathless laugh when she felt him push her shorts down the last few inches 'til they could fall to the floor. That laugh turned into a squeak when Zaeed gave her a smack on the ass and Shepard tugged his hair in return, tipping his head back as she leaned down.

"Naughty," she breathed in his ear, tongue tracing the rim before she nipped at the lobe with sharp teeth.

"Not even close," he returned, hands slipping up her sides now to remove her vest.

"Ah-ah-ah," she tutted, nimble fingers pulling at his own shirt. "You're a little overdressed, _hero_."

His lip curled in a sneer even as he tugged the thin black cotton over his head. Her bright eyes followed his hands as he loosened his trousers as well. Smirking again, Shepard stripped her top off and settled in his lap.

"You certainly know how to follow orders, don't you?" she murmured as she ground her hips against his lightly.

"I know when to disobey them too," Zaeed countered roughly, swiftly picking her up and spinning them around to pin her atop his workbench.

Shepard looked surprised for half a second before she grinned up at him. Leaning back on her elbows, she tilted her hips forward and brought her feet up to shove his trousers over his hips. They hit the floor with a muffled thump.

"Improvisation in the heat of battle is a sign of a good soldier," she pointed out slyly, looping her arms around his neck and nipping at his stubble-covered jaw.

"Knowing how to turn an ambush to your advantage is a sign of a good merc," he growled back, rubbing his erection teasingly against her wet center.

She muffled her moans in his shoulder when he brushed the head of his cock against her swollen clit, smearing precum up and down her slit. They groaned in tandem when he finally pressed forward, thrusting shallowly until they met hip to hip. Zaeed paused for a moment, savoring the feel of the Commander tight around him. When she wiggled impatiently, he pulled back and set a brutal pace. Shepard gasped, nails raking down his back and arms as she was pounded into the table.

Zaeed relished her cries, watched as she leaned back and slipped a hand between them to swirl around her sensitive bud. Grinning almost ferally, he let her continue until her shoulders gave that telling twitch and then he stopped cold. Before she could do more than open her mouth in protest, he pulled away. Knocking her hand out of the way, he flipped her onto her stomach and re-entered her in one hard thrust.

He was pretty sure they heard her moan down in Engineering, and Jack was sure to tease him about it later, but right now he had Shepard pinned beneath him, clawing at the surface of his workbench and arching her back to get a better angle. Leaning over her, Zaeed licked a sloppy path across her shoulder and up the side of her neck. They were both so close he could practically taste it and, after a few more rough thrusts, the Commander fell apart beneath him, keening. He came with a grunt and a sigh, gripping her hips so hard she'd likely bruise as he emptied his balls in her tight passage.

It was several minutes before either of them moved, both groaning as they finally separated. Zaeed gave her ass another smack as he reached over her for a cigar. Shepard laughed and slid off his workbench, bracing herself as she tested unsteady legs.

"It's a good thing you're outside the chain of command," she grinned, pouring herself some of his whiskey. "Or I'd have to punish you for insubordination."

"Sounds fun," he chuckled darkly, taking a deep drag and closing his eyes at the familiar burn.

She watched him with her hip cocked and an amused expression. "Never thought you'd be so slow on the uptake, though."

Zaeed regarded her with his good eye. "Never took you to be the impatient type."

"Just one of my many excellent qualities," she sighed dramatically, tossing back the drink before curling a hand over his shoulder to tug lightly on his hair. Her breath was hot in his ear, voice full of invitation as she murmured, "I can be _very _virtuous, if the need... arises."

He smirked, stubbing out the cigar and crowding her back towards his sleeping pallet. "It has."


End file.
